Catalonia has voted to ban bullfighting. The vote followed a petition signed by 180,000 people who say the practice is barbaric and outdated. The ban however, will take effect in January 2012, not immediately as many would like.

The BBC reported that bullfight supporters insist that the corrida, as it is known, is an important tradition to preserve.

Barcelona’s main bullring is one of the oldest in Spain, but support for the bullfight has waned with many saying that the only people who really watch are tourists.

Although the vote was put forth as an animal rights campaign, many believe that this ruling is a way for Catalonia to distance itself from the rest of mainland Spain.